Page 59 of Sworn to Protect

Her head lifts. Eyes narrowed. “Meaning?”

“If you want this buried...”

Her kiss tastes like revenge. Like absolution. When she pulls back, my mouth stings.

“Fuck tidy endings,” she murmurs, and I can’t help but laugh too.

Because she’s right—what we’ve got is anything but tidy. But it’s ours, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world.

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

NATE

I’mfive reps into my one-handed push-up routine when my phone rings. Usually, I’d ignore it and finish the set, but no one calls except Mackenzie. And even that’s rare. But something about this call makes the air shift. A sharp pulse of dread creeps in as I grab the phone and note the time. One o’clock.

That can’t be good.

I keep my tone even. “Yeah?”

The voice on the other end isn’t Mackenzie’s. It’s raw and broken.

“Nate, it’s Liam.”

Mackenzie’s words are thick with panic. I’m already reaching for my shirt and keys before I ask, “What about him?”

“He’s hurt. My brother … he took him out.” A strangled sob. “Dirtbike. He crashed.”

I shove my arms into my sleeves and grab my medical kit. “I’m on my way. Are you still at work?”

My mind races. How could this happen? Liam should be at school, not tearing through the woods on a dirtbike with that reckless bastard. If Jordan pulled him out without Mackenzie’s permission, I’m going to lose my shit.

These kids have become special to me. I protect what’s mine.

As I take off, my hands clench the wheel, fury bubbling under my skin. One fucking week—that’s all Jordan had to wait for safety lessons. Instead, he took an eleven-year-old out there untrained and unprotected.

Mackenzie’s breath hitches over the line, cutting through my rage.

“Do you know where they are?” I ask.

“The Brazen Trail. Somewhere in the mountains. I don’t know exactly.”

Shit.

“We’ll figure it out.”Somehow.“Did he call nine-one-one?”

“He tried, but the call dropped. His phone’s dead.”

Christ.

“Nate, I can’t lose my baby.”

“You won’t.” I have no idea if that’s true. But right now, she needs to believe it.

By the time I reach Mackenzie, she’s pacing outside the café, her face pale and tear-streaked. I barely throw the truck in park before I’m out, ushering her into the passenger seat.

“Do you have their last coordinates?” I pull up my GPS.

“A grassy field. Somewhere along the Brazen Trail.”

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